Day 29. A day without Angela is like a day without sunshine. Really! Springfield, KY

9:15 departure from Sonora arriving in Springfield, KY around 4:30. Riding without Angela today meant we not only didn't have any sunshine, we finished the last 13 miles in drizzle and rain!!  At least we had a modest tailwind a good part of the day. 💨

Interesting, we actually road over 63 miles rather than the 58 my GPS app shows, plus an extra 20 minutes. You might ask how that is possible. I'll tell you later...

Angela says good bye to John and I at the Truman Guesthouse. I'm really proud of her and how she's completed the last 1,400 miles. Spending 4 weeks on the road, riding a loaded down bike, especially with the weather we've been having, is a challenge for almost anyone but she's handled it with grace and aplomb.  I know she's a very happy girl to be with her Mom and have some days off and that is what matters, however I will still miss her very much. ❤️

John and Scott head off without Angela to east Kentucky and the Appalachian Mountains that wait for them there. 🚵

You might think this picture is about John's rainy day riding head gear, but no, it's noting the giant Makers Mark aging facility we passed just outside of Loretto, KY, their home base. I was interested in stopping by the distillery but it was raining with no promise of getting better soon, so we road on. I dreamed of taking a small sampler to warm me up later in the day. 

At this cross roads known as Howardstown, about 25 miles into our day we stopped at this gas station and met a woman who was the local  21 student Christian school Principal/teacher for the last 40 years and worked at this gas station on weekends/summers. She cooked us up some tasty eggs, sausage & toast and we chatted with her and the elderly gentleman who was hanging out with her.  As people often come and go into these local places to visit or buy something we met a  30' something local man who introduced himself. We talked about our trip for only a few minutes. As we went to pay the woman told us the man had already paid for our breakfast!!  How wonderful people have been to us as we've traveled across this country of ours. 

Do you recall my comment in the beginning about the GPS data from my phone being different than the actual mileage that I road?  Well, you see, when your phone pops out of you handlebar bag where you've been carrying it for the last 4 weeks and you keep on riding without it, it no longer is tracking your progress!  Right about where the pin is dropped in the picture above is where we crossed a gravel filled trench in a little one lane road, which jarred the bike enough to pop it out. It was about 2.5 miles later I realized, in a panic, I had lost my phone!  I frantically raced back to the only spot it could have popped out and searched without finding it.  I asked John to call my phone so I could locate it by sound but he didn't have cell service. I panicked some more. Just then we heard a muffled beep from behind us. I ripped off my jacket searching all of my pockets without success. Again another faint beep. Was it John's phone! No. A minute or two later and the beep came again. I walked about 10 feet up the road and started ripping at the tall grass, finally finding my phone. Very luckily, Angela just happened to be sending me some photos via text. Had it not been for her perfect timing, I would be a very sad guy without his phone and not updating this blog tonight!📲

We are starting to see more and more cross country cyclists everyday. This group happily waved us down and we had a great visit. Evo, in the middle and his wife, Andree on the right, are visiting from the Netherlands on a 3 month leave, cycling from Washington, DC to Astoria, OR, the end of the TransAm Route. Jullie on the left, is a recent college grad from U of Alabama, hometown of Cleveland and she started cross country by herself. She hooked up with Evo and Andree and they seemed to be halving a wonderful time traveling together. Every time we meet someone we exchange notes on the route we have just covered, sharing important info about dogs, places to eat or stay or not stay, and other helpful tips. Here is Evo/Andree's blog from a card they gave me if you interested:  http://cyclingtogetherblog.wordpress.com

Finally into Springfield's business district we stop into Mordicais Restaurant to warm up/dry off and figure out if we ride on or stay, and if we stay do we camp or try to find a hotel?  We agreed riding on and camping in the rain was no fun so we found a room at the Springfield Inn, the only motel in town. 

I ran out to the local IGA and got us aome good 'ol American beer tall boys and we relaxed, spoke with our wives,  and strategized our next steps. 🍻